Hi guys,
I’m doing some research about what makes us nervous in open water. As frankly, I’m pretty sure we all are at some point.
What are the main risks people perceive about swimming in the open water? Boat visibility, cramp, jellyfish etc?
Do comment and get the thread going!
Open Water?
Sea, lakes etc.
As opposed to in a swimming pool…
I don’t think about it. I have a high level of confidence in my swimming ability, ability to float even if I did get a cramp.
In unmaked coruses, I don’t care much for large predatory fish. I was swimming in the Bahamas on vacation last week and got a little far form other people and saw a Barracuda 4 feet below me. I turned and got the hell out of there, putting in a very solid pace for 100M.
I do worry about boat visibility, but I pick where I swim carefully and always wear a bright orange, green or red swim cap. At another island and just did 300y laps within the swim area jsut for that reason. Too many idiots out on jet skis near the swim area.
Oddly, I only have had panick attacks in our indoor pool since they keep it 83-85F. If it’s wavy and the air is warm, I start getting a little overheated and worry about passing out… then a very scary sense of mortaility takes over and sometimes I pull it back together, other times I pack it in and go home to see my family.
Sea, lakes etc.
As opposed to in a swimming pool…
I know what open water is. It’s a link. But now that I explained it, it’s no longer funny.
Ha. Sorry I killed that one outright
that water under you could be a thousand feet deep !!
you can’t see the black line to follow !!
swimming things nibbling at your feet !!
swimming straight out into the middle of the lake when your mama always told you don’t do that !!
fish and people have peed in that water !!
I never feared boats, marine life, cramps, etc. I personally didn’t fear anything going into it. But I did struggle at first and am still not entirely comfortable with it. I’d say this was a combination of just all the new things you experience in OWS vs. a pool, namely lack of visibility, chop and (for me) colder temps. You also need time in a wetsuit to get used to the feeling of constriction. Some combination of all of these led to a near panic attack in my first OWS race. I’m slowly getting more comfortable with it.
Predatory animals.
Always in the back of my mind. I know the risk is very small, but when you hear of recent sighting of whites in the area and see a decapitated sea lion on the beach.
We do a good bit of OW swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. I do think about sharks and know that the likelihood is small, but I think it makes all of us a little nervous. I like swimming in races much better. Being a middle of the pack swimmer, I figure that nothing is gonna be hungry by the time it gets to me : )
Predatory animals.
Very interesting. Given I’m typically swimming in a Swiss lake, predatory fish have been the least of my worries.
So what do you do about it, not swim? Stay closer to the shore, or does that make no difference?
In my personal opinion, the root of open water nervousness comes from a lack of confidence in swimming ability (did I train enough? can I make it?), lack of experience, and swimming around a lot of other people.
As with a poster above, having confidence in your swimming ability and having open water experience are some of the biggest keys to lessening the stresses that may come with open water swimming. Knowing what to do if something happens, knowing how to stay calm if something does happen.
Of course there are other factors, but if you can over come these, then it is simply things. Having the right equipment and having confidence in the products you are using. Race day stress, etc…
If you practice how you’ll play (train in open water, train in your wetsuit…), there is no reason an athlete shouldn’t be able to overcome most of the nervousness they experience before a swim.
The biggest perceived risks aren’t necessarily the biggest risks. I go back to inexperience in the water and lack of confidence in ability. You, yourself can be the biggest risk to your own safety. That is why it is important to again, train in your wetsuit, train as you would race (not the same pace).
The risks you mentioned are most certainly risks, but ones that can be mitigated by knowing what to do it you cramp in open water, knowing not to panic if you get stung by a jelly fish, staying in areas that are not frequented by boats and still making sure that you are as visible as possible (bright cap, etc…)
Just my $.02.
jake
jake
I grew up swimming in open water, so I don’t worry about such. But I could see how not having a wall to hold on might freak some people out, add the monsters lurking under the water (especially here in FL), and you have a combination that would drive meek people crazy. I guess the possibility of a Gator being in the water crosses my mind, but they are fairly harmless IN water and generally avoid loud noises (swimming, children yelling, etc). But I do prefer swimming in the winter (55 - 65 degree water) for one less thing to deal with.
I never feared boats, marine life, cramps, etc. I personally didn’t fear anything going into it. But I did struggle at first and am still not entirely comfortable with it. I’d say this was a combination of just all the new things you experience in OWS vs. a pool, namely lack of visibility, chop and (for me) colder temps. You also need time in a wetsuit to get used to the feeling of constriction. Some combination of all of these led to a near panic attack in my first OWS race. I’m slowly getting more comfortable with it.
These are closer to the kind of issues I face. I was considering a swim buoy of sorts, but then you’ve got to tug it around with you all the time, and it seems kind of pointless if wearing a wetsuit
In my personal opinion, the root of open water nervousness comes from a lack of confidence in swimming ability
Sure, I accept this. Although I’ve spent a couple of summers now swimming 4k+ on a regular basis, there’s an unease like I’m being reckless if I don’t swim with someone else. Perhaps it’s just my mother’s voice ringing in the background, that I need to be more careful
I get the same feeling if I swim on holiday out to a buoy and back or something, but then I guess this is more due to unfamiliar waters
1 - Monsters
2 - Dead bodies
3 - Predatory animals - sharks, orcas, otters, snakehead fish, giant squid, etc.
4 - Getting swum over/beaten up/kicked in the head in the swim start melee
5 - Missing a turn and getting carried away by the current, never to be seen again
6 - It’s really far away to the bottom - what if the water stops holding you up and you fall? (That might just be me)
7 - Effluent, chemicals, cooties, etc. in the water
8 - Drunks in speedboats
9 - Monsters
I just remind myself that the risks are small. The day of the sea lion corpse, I almost chickened out. Visibility was about 10 feet (normal) and there was footage in the local news of a great white taking out a seal from below. If the seals can’t avoid the sharks, I have no chance. But I swim with a group and the peer pressure got me in the water. I did practice drafting that day instead of swimming off the front.
I am very confident in my swimming abilities and have no problem going out in overhead swells. Heavy chop is annoying but no problem. No concerns about cramping. But not being able to see more than 10 feet makes me glad that so far every large animal that has popped up out of the blue has been a friendly dolphin.
1 - Monsters
2 - Dead bodies
3 - Predatory animals - sharks, orcas, otters, snakehead fish, giant squid, etc.
4 - Getting swum over/beaten up/kicked in the head in the swim start melee
5 - Missing a turn and getting carried away by the current, never to be seen again
6 - It’s really far away to the bottom - what if the water stops holding you up and you fall? (That might just be me)
7 - Effluent, chemicals, cooties, etc. in the water
8 - Drunks in speedboats
9 - Monsters
My wife is convinced I will die of a brain-eating bacteria obtained during a triathlon swim. That or a gator, which she believes lives in any body of fresh water larger than a swimming pool.
And yes, #6 is just you. 
You asked about nervousness. I don’t know if I’m nervous but I am careful to think about all of those things you mentioned but also things near the shore as in fish hooks, broken glass, or any sharp object. The open water can be full of bad things if we are not careful.
1 - Monsters
2 - Dead bodies
3 - Predatory animals - sharks, orcas, otters, snakehead fish, giant squid, etc.
4 - Getting swum over/beaten up/kicked in the head in the swim start melee
5 - Missing a turn and getting carried away by the current, never to be seen again
6 - It’s really far away to the bottom - what if the water stops holding you up and you fall? (That might just be me)
7 - Effluent, chemicals, cooties, etc. in the water
8 - Drunks in speedboats
9 - Monsters
My wife is convinced I will die of a brain-eating bacteria obtained during a triathlon swim. That or a gator, which she believes lives in any body of fresh water larger than a swimming pool.
And yes, #6 is just you.
The whole point of phobias is that they’re not rational!